Sicily 1701 tari

This specimen was lot 30774 in Heritage sale 3029 (New York, January 2014), where it sold for $1,645. The catalog description[1] noted, "Naples. Philip V di Borbone Tari 1701, AU50 NGC. Very similar condition to the previously offered Carlino of this ruler. Even lead-gray toning, with a sharp strike and reverse adjustment marks (as done by the mint). Very scarce." The SCWC notes that 24 carlini = 12 tari = 1 piastra, where a piastra is roughly equal to a peso. Charles II, the last Hapsburg king of Spain, was also king of Naples and Sicily. After his death the area passed out of the hands of the Spanish crown, only to be reconquered by them in the 1730's. Philip V of Spain was able to strike a few coins in his name early in his reign but he was forced to surrender all his Italian claims by the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. The tari was a denomination used only in Sicily and neighboring Malta, not in Naples proper.